Here is a couple links old and New that will explain It. When I got sober No one Counted their days Or celebrated month to month for the first year ...white chip 1 day to 30 days) Red chip (90 days) Blue chip (6 months) painted gold poker chip (9months) At a year you got a cake at your home group at the end of the month, along with others celebrating years or multiple years. If you got a Bronze coin back then your sponsor bought it for you ,Groups did not give out Bronze coins...We were urged to not to rely on yesterdays soobriety /coins or days. And a milestone was like a stepping stone to be build on. A lot has changed as you'll See!!

A sobriety coin is a token generally given to Alcoholics Anonymous members that represents the amount of time that person has remained sober, with the intention for it to help them abstain from alcohol. It comes traditionally in the form of a medallion the size of a poker chip which marks the exact amount of sobriety time they have. An award for abstaining from alcohol while with the program.

Contents



History

Alcoholics Anonymous was not the first organization to utilize the use of a sobriety chip. Other temperance societies used medallions to give to those who swore to stop drinking and to track the duration of ones sobriety.[1]
First Use

Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers, the history book for Alcoholics Anonymous, discusses the work of Sister Ignatia in Akron, a nun who was devoted to assist early members of A.A. and was known for passing out coins to these members. In this book, it states, Sister Ignatia gave each of her newly released patients a Sacred Heart Medallion, which she asked them to return before they took the first drink. She would occasionally give out St. Christopher medals as well. [1]
Use in AA

The actual history of how the A.A. chip came about after this is still a mystery. It is believed to have originated in 1942 in Indianapolis. The man who began the Alcoholics Anonymous section in Indianapolis, Doherty S., is thought to have started the sobriety coin tradition within this section of A.A.[2]

As each section of A.A. saw fit, it joined in on the sobriety coin custom. As private companies saw these coins being used, they began to manufacture A.A. chips (even though they were not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous) and sell them to different sections. It is believed that the company that made the modern chip as we know it today occurred in Minneapolis in 1965.[1]
Meaning

Sobriety coins themselves do not help people stay sober as such. It's the meaning behind them that is important. When a person receives a coin for one month, three months, or a longer period of time, the coins give a sense of pride for staying sober as long as they have, and to motivate them to continue. If a person should feel the desire to drink again, all they have to do is look at their coin to remind them of all the progress they have made up to that point. It makes them ask themselves if they truly want to throw away all that progress they have made.[3]

As the coin itself isn't important, many other objects achieve the same result as sobriety coins. Online sites exist that give images of sobriety coins to download and use as screen savers, sobriety medallion key chains, and there are even marbles.[4] One man was even given a bullet to carry around, if he ever preferred "the easier softer way out".[5]

When one has accepted a chip after having secretly relapsed, it's known as a "dirty chip".
Coin Design

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of both men and women who share their experience, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.[6] To show how far along each person is in their sobriety most A.A. groups use a chip of a particular color that constitutes a range of time that person has been sober .[6] These different colored chips are meant to be tokens of inspiration and a reminder of just how long the member has been sober and how far that member has come. It is evident that early on, many people in A.A. carried personal mementos to remind themselves of the importance of their sobriety .[7] From personal mementos to coins, the practice of giving out something such as a sobriety chip represents the will and desire that a person has to quit drinking. The practice of giving sobriety chips in A.A. is attributed to a group in Elmira, N.Y. in 1947. The celebration of birthdays came from the Oxford group where they celebrated the anniversary of their spiritual rebirth, in Alcoholics Anonymous people choose the anniversary of the date of their last drink.[8] There are thirteen basic coins that are given to members within their first year of sobriety.

Silver Chip- 1 day/24 hours of sobriety (also known as the desire chip that is used to help the member pursue their desire to stay sober for the first 24 hours)[9]
White Chip- 30 days/1 month of sobriety
Dark Gold Chip- 60 days/2 months of sobriety
Green Chip- 90 days/3 months of sobriety
Purple Chip- 4 months of sobriety
Pink Chip- 5 months of sobriety
Blue Chip- 6 months of sobriety
Copper Chip- 7 months of sobriety
Red Chip- 8 months of sobriety
Purple Chip- 9 months of sobriety
Bright Gold Chip- 10 months of sobriety
Green Chip- 11 months of sobriety
Bronze Chip- 1 year of sobriety[10]

The chip system is optional and not a part of all A.A. groups nationally or worldwide.[11] On January 1, 2011, the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous estimated that there were 57,905 Alcoholic Anonymous groups throughout the United States.[12] All the chips after the One Year-chip are traditionally also Bronze. There are special novelty chips that come in other metals, colors, types and designs.

http://www.barefootsworld.net/aachips.html

Billy

It's just a little thing the as in the south mainly hand out on 1 3 6 9 and. Years or multiples are blue chips. We also give out a peach chip for visitors.

I really needed them the first year. It's a big help to get you thru a tough spot.

1-2

There just poker chips

Thanks for all the info. I guess I could have googled it . . . but I figured someone here might have more insight.

Weight Watchers does kinda the same thing. You get "bravo" stickers, and other "awards" for various accomplishments - for them weight loss.

It's all about reinforcing behavior change I suppose.

you can also buy a brass coin or a fancy coin that has color on the brass coin that is coated with colored plastic...
just a way to celebrate a birthday...

they also say if you want to drink put that coin in your mouth and if it melts you can have that drink...LOL

I guess it's "whatever works."